Facebook won't exempt publishers from new political ad policy

If publishers think Facebook would give them an exemption from its new political ad disclosure policy, they have another thing coming. The social network's Campbell Brown has rejected calls for publisher exemptions to th e "paid for" label in a blog post, arguing that equal treatment is necessary to ensure the policy works. It would "go against our transparency efforts," Brown said, and would be ripe for abuse. A "bad actor" could hide its identity by claiming to be a publisher, and news outlets can take definite political stances.

Brown also denied allegations that this was a "criticism or judgment" of publishers. It's just meant to encourage "more informed consumption," he said.

This isn't likely to satisfy publishers who've seen their ads and promoted posts vanish and have sometimes turned to registering as political advertisers to get news stories into people's feeds. However, they might get Facebook to change its mind regardless of how much they push for a special exemption. The company is determined to prevent election meddling, and has been willing to take drastic steps (such as blocking all foreign ads during Ireland's referendum) to avoid even a hint of impropriety. The new disclosure policy is consistent with that take-no-chances attitude.

Source: Facebook for Media



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